DEAR EPHESUS: THE HONEYMOON IS OVER (1 OF 7)
by Ken Trivette
Scripture: REVELATION 2:1-7
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Dear Ephesus: The Honeymoon is Over (1 of 7)
Ken D. Trivette
Revelation 2:1-7
In Revelation chapter’s two and three, we meet a group of Churches in Asia Minor that received a personal letter from Jesus. There are seven Churches named that received a letter that had been dictated by Jesus and delivered by John. Much of the New Testament consists of Churches that received letters from Paul, Peter, John, and others, but these seven Churches received a letter from Jesus.
Warren Wiersbe says of these letters that the Lord ‘‘gave each assembly an X-ray of its condition.’’1 In each letter Jesus told them what He thought about their Church, what He saw in their Church, and what He expected of their Church. In each letter Jesus commended them for the good things, and condemned them for the bad things. He approved the positives and reproved the negatives.
I wonder, if Jesus wrote the Church we attend a personal letter, what would He say about it? Is there anything about our Church that He would commend? Is there about our Church that He would condemn? As Churches we should be mostly concerned with what Christ thinks about us.’’ We all have our opinions about our Church. Others have their opinions about our Church. Yet, what is important is the Lord’s opinion.
In each of the letters, we find our Lord saying, ‘‘I know thy works’’ (2:2,9,13,19; 3:1,8,15). The Lord has complete knowledge of a Church. He knows what a Church is doing and what it is not doing. He knows both the good and the bad.
These seven Churches are a fascinating study. Lehman Strauss in his book on Revelation suggests that each letter has a 3-fold meaning:
1. A Primary Association: Each letter was written to a local Church that existed at that time and had direct bearings on the Church to which the letters were written.
2. A Prophetic Anticipation: Each of these seven Churches depicts and portrays the Church through successive stages of history. They present a panorama of the Church t ...
Ken D. Trivette
Revelation 2:1-7
In Revelation chapter’s two and three, we meet a group of Churches in Asia Minor that received a personal letter from Jesus. There are seven Churches named that received a letter that had been dictated by Jesus and delivered by John. Much of the New Testament consists of Churches that received letters from Paul, Peter, John, and others, but these seven Churches received a letter from Jesus.
Warren Wiersbe says of these letters that the Lord ‘‘gave each assembly an X-ray of its condition.’’1 In each letter Jesus told them what He thought about their Church, what He saw in their Church, and what He expected of their Church. In each letter Jesus commended them for the good things, and condemned them for the bad things. He approved the positives and reproved the negatives.
I wonder, if Jesus wrote the Church we attend a personal letter, what would He say about it? Is there anything about our Church that He would commend? Is there about our Church that He would condemn? As Churches we should be mostly concerned with what Christ thinks about us.’’ We all have our opinions about our Church. Others have their opinions about our Church. Yet, what is important is the Lord’s opinion.
In each of the letters, we find our Lord saying, ‘‘I know thy works’’ (2:2,9,13,19; 3:1,8,15). The Lord has complete knowledge of a Church. He knows what a Church is doing and what it is not doing. He knows both the good and the bad.
These seven Churches are a fascinating study. Lehman Strauss in his book on Revelation suggests that each letter has a 3-fold meaning:
1. A Primary Association: Each letter was written to a local Church that existed at that time and had direct bearings on the Church to which the letters were written.
2. A Prophetic Anticipation: Each of these seven Churches depicts and portrays the Church through successive stages of history. They present a panorama of the Church t ...
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